


Stay With Me

by truth_renowned



Category: Agent Carter (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-13
Updated: 2016-06-13
Packaged: 2018-07-14 17:41:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7183718
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truth_renowned/pseuds/truth_renowned
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Atomic Job missing scene, between Daniel seeing Peggy's impalement and them arriving on Violet's doorstep. From Daniel's point of view.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay With Me

**Author's Note:**

> This missing scene has been in my mind after a rewatch of Atomic Job because 1) how in the heck did they get Peggy off the rebar, and 2) this feels like the turning point for Daniel in how he sees his relationship with Peggy. I wanted to explore both.

The sickening thud of her body hitting the concrete blocks punches him like a fist.

“PEGGY!”

Moving as fast as he can, he sees exactly where she landed. And what is sticking up through her side.

“Peggy!”

_Oh God._

He kneels next to the blocks. 

“Oh God. Oh God.”

_Sousa, stay calm._

“Peggy, stay calm. Stay calm.”

Each one of her exhalations of pain chips away at his resolve. Stay calm.

“Just… stay with me.”

_Stay with me, Peggy._

She tries to sit up but screams out. He puts a hand on her shoulder. “No, stay still. Don't move.”

He looks around. “JARVIS! ROSE!”

He hears an echoed, “Here, Chief.” Rose. The fast clicking of her heels precedes her.

“Right here, Chi… oh my God!”

“Where's Jarvis?”

She just stands there, staring at the metal protruding from Peggy’s body.

“Rose, where is Jarvis?” 

“I… I don't know, Chief,” she says, her voice cracking.

“Go find him, and find me something to cut this rebar with.” When she doesn't respond, he adds, “Now, Rose!”

She nods and runs off.

_Stay with me._

Tears spring into his eyes. How many missions had they been on, how many enemies had they collared, for this to be her end? No, he wouldn't stand for it. He won't let this be Peggy Carter’s final mission.

“Hurts,” she pushes out on a breath.

He takes her hand. “I know. I’m working on getting you out of here.” Where the hell is everybody? 

Her breath is quick and now her hand is shaking, her palm clammy. His fingers move to her neck and he feels for a pulse. He’s no doctor but it seems very fast. Shock is setting in. 

_Stay with me, Peg._

He hears heavy footfalls, distant, then getting closer. His gaze never leaves Peggy.

“Good Lord,” Jarvis mumbles, now standing near him.

Rose moves to his other side. “Chief, we couldn't find anything that would cut that--”

“This is a factory! There's no tools at all? A hacksaw? Anything?” Peggy’s entire body is shaking now. “We need to do something. She's going into shock.”

More heavy footfalls, these much slower, echo in the room. He turns to see Samberly carrying the briefcase of uranium rods.

He glared at Rose. “You left the rods with him?”

She shrugs. “It was either that or leave them with no one.”

“Holy cow! She's impaled!” Samberly. Fucking Samberly.

Daniel grits his teeth. “Rose, get him away from me.”

“Wait,” Jarvis says. “We don't have any tools to cut away the rebar. We, all of us, are going to need to lift her.”

Daniel stands and looks down at Peggy. Even in the dim light, she looks pale. Ghostly pale. Her keening has stopped and her breathing is erratic. Blood has oozed its way through her shirt and jacket, and a small stream is fingering out beneath her, darkening the blocks. 

_Just stay with me._

Jarvis is right. They need to lift her, and it's going to take all of them to do it.

He takes a deep breath, lets it out, then surveys the situation. He needs a plan and he needs it quick. There’s four of them. Two sides. One up top. Lift her straight up. Yes, it might work. It needs to work.

“Okay, here's how we do this,” Daniel says. “Samberly, go around the other side. Jarvis, up on the blocks. Watch that rebar. Rose, over here with me. Move now.”

Once everyone is in position, he continues. “Samberly, on the count of three, you and I are going to slowly, and I mean slowly, lift her here and here,” he says, motioning under her hips and chest. “Straight up, arms all the way under her. Jarvis, you get your arms under her arms and knees as soon as you can. Rose, you keep her middle supported and guide her off of the rebar as Jarvis lifts her up. Make sure she stays level and you take it slow. Everyone got it?”

Daniel sees nods but uncertain faces. Probably the same face he is making. This has to work. He’s not losing her.

He leans down and puts his hand on Peggy’s shoulder. “We’re going to lift you off of this. It's gonna hurt like hell but it's the only way.”

She gives a slight nod. “Trust you.”

His heart constricts. Her life literally is in his hands, and she trusts him with it. He hopes to God she's put her trust in the right person.

“Jarvis, straight up, don't try to pull her over to one side. We don't want to cause any more damage.”

“Right.”

“Samberly, you ready?”

“As I can be, Chief.”

Daniel places his arms under her chest and hips. Samberly does the same, his arms butting up against his.

“Okay. One… two… three!”

He starts lifting her but Samberly lifts too high, tilting her. Peggy’s yell slices through his ears.

“Samberly! Slowly, I said!”

“I’m sorry! I've never done this before!”

The two men gently lift her several inches, keeping her as level as possible. Jarvis moves to the side Samberly is on and kneels next to Peggy, straddling pieces of rebar. He slips his arm under her shoulders.

“Chief Sousa, you and Dr. Samberly can let go up here.” 

Daniel nods at Samberly and they both remove their arms under her chest. Peggy is hyperventilating again.

“Peggy, breathe,” Daniel says, his free hand squeezing her shoulder. “Deep breaths. We’re almost there.”

_Stay with me._

Jarvis angles himself to better reach her lower body and moves his arm under her knees.

“Gentlemen, I have her.”

Daniel and Samberly release their arms as Rose moves in. Sweat running down his brow, Jarvis holds Peggy in place as Rose places her hands under Peggy’s lower back. He raises her, the movement painfully slow.

“Almost there, Peg,” Rose says, lifting her as Jarvis does, keeping her lower back and butt supported. 

Daniel watches Peggy’s abdomen rise until it is even with the top of the rebar. “You okay, Jarvis?”

“Yes, but I don't think I can lift her and stand at the same time. Chief Sousa, I will lift her off of the bar. If you can stand where Miss Carter’s legs are, I can hand her to you.”

Daniel walks the few steps to the end of the blocks, putting his crutch aside. Jarvis and Rose start lifting Peggy again, the rebar disappearing into her body. She yells out again, a long, agonizing scream that threatens to shatter Daniel’s heart. Finally, her body is clear of the rebar and she is silent. Too silent.

Jarvis moves on his knees to the end of the blocks and places Peggy in Daniel’s arms. Her body is slack, breathing uneven.

_Dammit, Peggy, stay with me!_

“We need to get her out of here, now!”

Jarvis jumps down from the blocks and moves next to Daniel. “I’ll carry her.”

Reluctantly, Daniel hands Peggy over to him. Her arm flops to Jarvis’ side, and Daniel gently lifts it and places it across her body. He feels for a pulse. It’s there, barely. 

He mentally berates himself for not being the one to carry her out. He tries to tell himself the only reason is because it’s what a chief would do, rescue his agents. It has nothing to do with it being a certain female agent for which his torch never has been fully extinguished. It should have been, but…

Daniel unholsters his gun. “We don’t know if anyone still is in the building. I’m on point. Samberly, behind Jarvis. Rose, you follow up. Let’s move, and quickly.”

Samberly picks up the briefcase housing the uranium rods and fumbles with the handle.

Daniel winces. “Samberly, if you drop that, so help me God, if the blast doesn't kill you, I will.”

As quickly as possible, they all moved through the building, encountering no one. Once they reached the car, they had another dilemma: how to get Peggy into the vehicle.

Daniel’s fingers go to her neck. Her pulse is rapid but stronger than before. 

_Stay with me, Peg._

Rose goes around the car, opening doors. Daniel starts thinking of a plan but something stops him: Peggy’s moan. It's the most beautiful sound he’s ever heard. Her eyes flutter open and she raises her hand. Daniel catches it.

“You’re free,” he says. “You're okay now. It's okay.

“Down,” she whispers. 

“We’ll get you out of here.”

“Hurts.”

He sees what she is talking about. By holding her, the way her body is bent at the waist, Jarvis is adding pressure to the wound.

“Okay. We’ll set you down.”

Daniel stands beside Jarvis, his hands anchored on Peggy’s hips, as they lower her legs to the ground. 

She winces and cries out.

“Peggy?”

“Fine.” 

Her arm is around Jarvis’ neck, his around her waist. 

“We need to get you into the car,” Daniel says. “We’ll take it slow. Jarvis, I’ll get in the back on one side, and we’ll feed her through the other.”

Daniel quickly moves to the other side of the car and climbs in, sitting as close to the door as possible. Jarvis puts one foot on the floorboard and helps Peggy inside the car. She sits roughly onto the seat.

Peggy’s breath quickens, each exhalation pushed out with a groan.

Daniel lifts Peggy under her arms, pulling her further into the car. She yells out.

“Almost, Peggy,” Daniel says.

_Just stay with me._

He settles her head in his lap. “Done. It’s okay, we’re done.” He brushes matted hair from her forehead. She’s burning up but she’s shaking as if she were cold. He gently untucks her shirt, and she groans at the friction it causes. “Sorry.”

He tries unsuccessfully to muffle his gasp. It’s horrific, fresh blood oozing from the wide hole. He feels around her, under her jacket and blouse, and his hands come away with blood. 

“I need something to staunch the blood,” he says to no one in particular.

He hears Rose say, “Handkerchiefs.”

Within a few seconds, she is shoving two handkerchiefs in his hand. He puts one under the hole and one on top, then closes his hand around her side.

Her scream makes him want to let up but he knows pressure is what is needed. “I’m so sorry, Peg. We’re going to get you help. Calm down. Deep breaths.”

He looks up and notices that Jarvis is in the driver’s seat, and Rose and Samberly are sardined in the front seat with him.

“Chief, which hospital?”

“No hospital, Rose.”

He hears her gasp. “She's critically wounded. She has to see a doctor.”

“I’ll have a medical professional look at it, don’t worry.”

He hears Rose’s intake of breath, and he steels himself for her verbal assault but it doesn't come. She must realize what he has in mind. “She’s going to tell you to take her to a hospital.”

“No hospital,” Peggy says weakly. 

Daniel nods. “You heard the lady.”

He gives Jarvis an address, then hesitates. Peggy is awake and able to talk, as stable as she can be. “The SSR is on the way. Rose, we’re dropping you and Samberly off to get the uranium rods secured.”

They ride in silence, save Peggy’s weak keening, for several minutes. 

_Stay with me. Please, God._

“Whitney Frost,” Peggy says suddenly.

Daniel's hand goes to her hair. “What about her?”

“Rods.”

“We have them. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“She got away.”

“She did,” he says, his fingers lightly brushing through her sweat-soaked hair, “but we’ll get her.”

“Damn straight.”

He lets out a laugh. “That’s…” 

He stops himself from saying ‘That’s my Peggy’. She’s not his Peggy. He has no business thinking that because he… he’s an engaged man. Peggy is his colleague, daresay, his friend. He keeps telling himself that while stroking her hair. A friend, nothing more, nothing less, but…

“That’s right, Peggy, we will.”

Jarvis pulls up in front of the Auerbach Theatrical Agency, and Rose and Samberly exit, Rose carrying the briefcase.

She leans back into the car. “Chief, I’ll stay at the office. Call me with an update.” She smiles. “She’s Peggy Carter. She’s going to be fine.”

He nods, hoping to God she’s right.

_Stay with me, Peg._

The car starts moving again. He looks down at Peggy, and her eyes are open, staring up at him. He should look away but he can’t. He should take his hand out of her hair but he can’t. He should stop thinking thoughts that no engaged man should be thinking about another woman but he can’t. Thoughts like how soft her hair is, how her hand has found his forearm and rests there as if it belongs, how comfortable it feels to have her head in his lap. He should stop, but…

“Rose is right. You’re going to be fine. You have to.” He adds a small smile. “Can’t break up the team.”

“Wonderful team.”

“Yes, we are.”

She closes her eyes. His hand and his thoughts stay right where they are for the rest of the drive, until Jarvis pulls up to Violet’s house.

“Chief Sousa, I can lift Miss Carter out under her arms. Unless you have better plan.”

“No, I think the faster we get her out, the better off she will be.”

“Do it,” she says.

That's my Peggy, he thinks, and he lets that thought linger. What the hell is he doing? He has Violet, his fiancé, who is amazing, but…

But.

“Chief, whenever you're ready,” Jarvis says, Daniel completely unaware the car door is open.

Daniel nods and helps Peggy into a semi-seated position. Jarvis hooks his arms under hers and pulls her up and out of the car.

Her keening starts again in earnest, breath and groan departing her mouth as one. He doesn’t know how much more she can take. He doesn’t know how much more he can take.

He scrambles out of the car and takes his place at Peggy’s side. He and Jarvis move her up the porch steps, her breathing getting worse.

_Stay with me, Peggy. I need you to stay with me._

Daniel makes a fist and bangs on the door, over and over, until it opens.


End file.
